I don't want to be a Karen

I Don’t Want To Be A Karen

As the COVID-19 virus impacts markets, Australians are worried about the impact on their super and investments. We profile a retiree who made a knee-jerk decision with her super when she was still working, and now cautions against acting too hastily in reaction to the volatility.

As the COVID-19 virus impacts markets around the world, Karen, a 69-year-old retiree, is dreading her next superannuation statement. A former teacher and now retired for 11 years, Karen expects to find her life savings have fallen in value.

“I’ve got no interest in looking at it, I’m sure it’s going to be awful,” she says. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but hopefully this will be over soon.”


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Many Australian retirees will relate to her anxiety. But Karen’s fears are intensified by a mistake she made during the last big downturn. The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2008 arrived a year before she was due to retire. Reacting to blaring media headlines and widespread panic, she converted all of her super into cash in an attempt to stop her balance from falling.

“At the time I was really scared that my balance would go down,” Karen says. “I knew I had to rely on this superannuation for the next 20 or 30 years.”

Around a week later she obtained advice to convert to a more diversified investment mix, which would likely rise in value in the long run. Afterwards, she realised her hasty decision cost her thousands of dollars due to missing out on some of the rebound and the transaction costs involved.

Karen believes her balance today is lower than it would have been if she had done nothing at all. She advises other investors: “Don’t be a Karen & talk to an expert.”



Confidence is vital to the smooth functioning of markets and the returns they deliver to investors. COVID-19’s impact on supply chains, businesses and the daily lives of people around the world, has reduced confidence on a large scale, causing markets to endure some of their worst performances since the GFC.

Despite the Australian government stepping in with stimulus packages and lower interest rates, a recession (defined as six months of negative economic growth) could be coming. This will bring enormous challenges to the daily lives of Australians, and some will be tempted to make reactive decisions concerning their superannuation.

But investors must remember the basic principles of investing for the long term in a diversified portfolio. While investments in one part may suffer losses, other parts may hold or even increase their value. Markets sometimes fall sharply, but they also rise rapidly at times that nobody can predict. Over the long term, short-term volatility doesn’t tend to matter.

News of a slowdown in the spread of the virus, or the development of a vaccine, could deliver a sudden shot in the arm to share markets. Those who cash out now will turn their ‘on-paper’ losses into real losses, and could miss out on potential gains.



Life is hard right now for everyone, including Karen. With supermarket shelves cleared of budget goods, Karen and her husband have been forced to buy more expensive brands which doubled their grocery bill, which forced Karen to ask to speak to the manager. The mental and emotional stress of the situation is also taking a toll with many people feeling like their health is endangered or concerned that they could place the health of others at risk.

But markets have recovered after previous downturns in history, and they are likely to recover this time as well. When that happens, the winners will be those who take a calm and considered approach, by seeking advice from the financial planners at Newcastle Advisors.



Matthew McCabe